Secrets in tool configuration
Also called: config secrets, plaintext secrets
Credentials stored in plaintext inside MCP server configs, agent settings, or environment files that are broadly readable or checked into version control.
MCP servers are frequently configured with a JSON file that lists each server's command and its environment variables — including API keys and tokens — in cleartext. These files land in dotfiles repos, get synced across machines, and are readable by any process running as the user. Agent frameworks have similar config surfaces.
Why it matters
It is the most common concrete finding when people audit their own MCP setups. Any local code — including a malicious MCP server you just added — can read the whole file and every other server's secrets with it. Secrets belong in an OS keychain or secrets manager referenced by the config, not in the config.
Exposure map
Live counts of instances showing this pattern will appear here once the exposure map is collecting data.